Assad Shown at Ceremony for Prophet Birthday

Syria's embattled President Bashar Assad was Thursday shown on state television attending prayers at a mosque in a northern district of Damascus to mark the Prophet Mohammed's birthday.

The leader was shown in a live broadcast kneeling in al-Afram mosque flanked by Syria's Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun, the highest Sunni religious authority in the country, and the religious endowments minister.

The minister, Mohammed Abdel Settar, earlier called for "million man prayers" at mosques on Friday to appeal for the re-establishment of security in the country, rocked by a deadly anti-regime uprising since March 2011.

"Prayers will be held after Friday services in Syria's mosques with the appeal for a return to security and safety in the homeland," Settar said, quoted by state news agency SANA.

Assad's opponents have traditionally called for anti-regime rallies each Friday, the Muslim day of rest and weekly prayers.

After the brief ceremony in al-Afram mosque attended by dozens of religious clerics and laymen, the president smiled and seemed at ease as a crowd gathered around him to offer greetings.

Assad was shown being escorted to a waiting car in the street and stepping into the driver's seat, after which the cameras panned upwards to show the mosque and surrounding area.

The last time Assad appeared in public was for a rare speech to supporters on January 6, in which he dismissed calls for his removal and said he had no partners with whom to negotiate for an end to the 22-month conflict.

In the speech, the president offered a roadmap to end the war while branding the opposition "slaves" of the West and urging foreign powers to stop backing armed rebels.

one soul is more valuable than all the mosques, so, if we go by your claim that this was done by al-nusra, the two things are uncomparable. The number is supported by international human rights groups and the UN, bas inta you are way beyond all that, ma hek? You are more important than the whole world. el3ama ma aghbek.

Right on mohammad. The audacity for this scum to be worshiping the almighty when he should be burnt to a crisp after all the crimes he and his clan have committed! No worries God will be waiting and will send him straight to hell where he will join the likes of Khadafi & Mughniyeh!

Again with his limited vocabulary/education "filthy zionist scum"....blah...blah...blah. These zionist at least don't kill their own brothers/sisters/children you ignorant conditioned FARSI peasant aka BSThrower/Motormouth/ASSistence.

Wrong....BOTH! 95% of his posts defend/cheer/commend the filthy terrorists HA/IRAN/ASSAD with INACCURATE information to be regularly corrected by others accordingly (and for him to come back with his tail between legs speechless with regards to his trash).

He drives his own car? man that guy is so down to earth! aside from the 65,000 syrians killed and the countless Lebanses. I can clearly see how he can garner so much support from everyone. Sad Sad time to be a Lebanese! Shows how much they are worth, in money at least!

This guy is such a coward, why doesnt he go to the amawi mosque if he so strong and in control like he and his racist nazi followers on here do lol.? At leasT SAddam and qadafe had balls and would go out in the streets even under airraids. This pathetic little mosque is smaller than the one in my village. It is not a place of worship but a mosque of munafeqeen just like the quran describes in tawba ( for the farsis on here who never read the quran )

Dear Sirs,
The world syrian people have suffered from the devastated situation under the civil war especially infliced by the foreign backed terrorisits or extremists, the defectors of FSA and even suicide bombs by jihadist who highly likely to enter into from a foreign coutry, the clashes between rebels - FSA and extremists. "Million man prayers" gave the holy moment even over me. I sincerely hope the settlement will be achieved by the peaceful heart inside of them. If the world know the calamity of the situation, I hope I must help in a possible way for the peace. When I heard recent news, I feel almost crying for it.